with the Indian, was a poor second in
the race with Blazing Star. With this essential information, Kyle asked
if he could hire Hartigan's horse for a brush with the Indian.

Hartigan went through a most painful struggle with his conscience. But
clearly "this was not a regular race." It was "just a sort of speed test
with an Indian pony like the one he had had with Kyle." He was not going
to ride in it. He would only rent his horse for wages. "Sure, every one
hires out his horse when he has a good one." So Blazing Star was hired
out to Kyle, and a new though unimportant race was arranged, for a
stake, otherwise the Indian would not have taken the trouble to ride.
The Red-men's black eyes looked keenly on as he measured the new horse.
Then the unexpected happened. Blazing Star was not accustomed to the new
jockey, the gentle ways that had fostered his speed were lacking. The
rider's idea was whip and spur and go from the start. The horse got
"rattled" and the Indian pony won. The defeat stirred Hartigan to a rage
such as he had not experienced in months. The unrest of his conscience
over the affair, coupled with his contempt and fury at the bad
horsemanship of the rider, set loose from his tongue a lurid torrent
blended of Links, Scripture, and Black Hills.

"Here, you jelly-backed cowpuncher, let me show you how to ride. Will
you ride again?" he shouted to the Indian, as the latter put the roll of
bills in his tobacco pouch.

The Indian shook his head.

"I will put that up twenty-five dollars to nothing," and Hartigan held
up the twenty-five dollars he had received as hire for his horse. Again
the Indian shook his head. "I'll give you that if you'll ride." Jim held
up a ten, "and double it if you win."

With a gesture, the Indian consented, received the bill, and put it with
the rest. They rode to the starting post, were unceremoniously started,
and Hartigan showed how much a man could do for a horse. In spite of his
rider's great weight that splendid beast responded to every word, and
when on the home run Hartigan used the quirt, Blazing Star seemed to
know it was merely a signal, not an insulting urge, and let himself go.
The Indian pony, too, was doing his utmost, but Blazing Star swept past
his opponent and led at the finish by more than a length; the race was
won; and Hartigan wakened up as a man out of a dream to face the awful
fact that he, a minister of the gospel, had not only ridden in a horse
race, but ha